Upwards of twenty years have passed since the 'Rifle and Hound inCeylon' was published, and I have been requested to write a preface fora new edition. Although this long interval of time has been spent in amore profitable manner than simple sport, nevertheless I have addedconsiderably to my former experience of wild animals by nine yearspassed in African explorations. The great improvements that have beenmade in rifles have, to a certain extent, modified the opinions that Iexpressed in the 'Rifle and Hound in Ceylon.' Breech-loaders have soentirely superseded the antiquated muzzle-loader, that the hunter ofdangerous animals is possessed of an additional safeguard. At the sametime I look back with satisfaction to the heavy charges of powder thatwere used by me thirty years ago and were then regarded as absurd, butwhich are now generally acknowledged by scientific gunners as the onlymeans of insuring the desiderata of the rifle, i.e., high velocity, lowtrajectory, long range, penetration, and precision.

When I first began rifle-shooting thirty-seven years ago, not one man ina thousand had ever handled such a weapon. Our soldiers were thenarmed*(*With the exception of the Rifle Brigade) with the common oldmusket, and I distinctly remember a snubbing that I received as ayoungster for suggesting, in the presence of military men, 'that thearmy should throughout be supplied with rifles.' This absurd ideaproposed by a boy of seventeen who was a good shot with a weapon thatwas not in general use, produced such a smile of contempt upon myhearers, that the rebuke left a deep impression, and was neverforgotten. A life's experience in the pursuit of heavy game hasconfirmed my opinion expressed in the `Rifle and Hound' in 1854--thatthe best weapon for a hunter of average strength is a double rifleweighing fifteen pounds, of No. 10 calibre. This should carry a chargeof ten drachms of No. 6 powder (coarse grain). In former days I used sixor seven drachms of the finest grained powder with the oldmuzzle-loader, but it is well known that the rim of the breech-loadingcartridge is liable to burst with a heavy charge of the fine grain,therefore No. 6 is best adapted for the rifle.

Although a diversity of calibres is a serious drawback to the comfort ofa hunter in wild countries, it is quite impossible to avoid thedifficulty, as there is no rifle that will combine the requirements fora great variety of game. As the wild goose demands B B shot and thesnipe No. 8, in like manner the elephant requires the heavy bullet, andthe deer is contented with the small-bore.

I have found great convenience in the following equipment for huntingevery species of game in wild tropical countries.

One single-barrel rifle to carry a half-pound projectile, or a fourounce, according to strength of hunter.

One double-barrelled small-bore rifle, sighted most accurately fordeer-shooting. Express to carry five or six drachms, but with hardenedsolid bullet.

Two double-barrelled No. 10 smooth-bores to carry shot or ball; thelatter to be the exact size for the No. 10 rifles.

According to my experience, such a battery is irresistible.

The breech-loader has manifold advantages over the muzzle-loader in awild country. Cartridges should always be loaded in England, and theyshould be packed in hermetically sealed tin cases within wooden boxes,to contain each fifty, if large bores, or one hundred of the smallercalibre.

These will be quite impervious to damp, or to the attacks of insects.The economy of ammunition will be great, as the cartridge can be drawnevery evening after the day's work, instead of being fired off as withthe muzzle-loader, in order that the rifle may be cleaned.

The best cartridges will never miss fire. This is an invaluable qualityin the pursuit of dangerous game.

Although I advocate the express small-bore with the immense advantage oflow trajectory, I am decidedly opposed to the hollow expanding bulletfor heavy, thick-skinned game. I have so frequently experienceddisappointment by the use of the hollow bullet that I should alwaysadhere to the slightly hardened and solid projectile that will preserveits original shape after striking the thick hide of a large animal.

A hollow bullet fired from an express rifle will double up a deer, butit will be certain to expand upon the hard skin of elephants,rhinoceros, hippopotami, buffaloes, &c.; in which case it will lose allpower of penetration. When a hollow bullet strikes a large bone, itabsolutely disappears into minute particles of lead,--and of course itbecomes worthless.

For many years I have been supplied with firstrate No. 10 rifles byMessrs. Reilly & Co. of Oxford Street, London, which have never becomein the slightest degree deranged during the rough work of wild hunting.Mr. Reilly was most successful in the manufacture of explosive shellsfrom my design; these were cast-iron coated with lead, and their effectwas terrific.

Mr. Holland of Bond Street produced a double-barrelled rifle thatcarried the Snider Boxer cartridge. This was the most accurate weapon upto 300 yards, and was altogether the best rifle that I ever used; butalthough it possessed extraordinary precision, the hollow bullet causedthe frequent loss of a wounded animal. Mr. Holland is now experimentingin the conversion of a Whitworth-barrel to a breech-loader. If thisshould prove successful, I should prefer the Whitworth projectile to anyother for a sporting rifle in wild countries, as it would combineaccuracy at both long and short ranges with extreme penetration.

The long interval that has elapsed since I was in Ceylon, has caused agreat diminution in the wild animals.

The elephants are now protected by game laws, although twenty years agoa reward was offered by the Government for their destruction. The 'Rifleand Hound' can no longer be accepted as a guidebook to the sports inCeylon; the country is changed, and in many districts the forests havebeen cleared, and civilization has advanced into the domains of wildbeasts. The colony has been blessed with prosperity, and the gradualdecrease of game is a natural consequence of extended cultivation andincreased population.

In the pages of this book it will be seen that I foretold thedestruction of the wild deer and other animals twenty years ago. At thattime the energetic Tamby's or Moormen were possessed of guns, and hadcommenced a deadly warfare in the jungles, killing the wild animals as amatter of business, and making a livelihood by the sale of dried flesh,hides, and buffalo-horns. This unremitting slaughter of the game duringall seasons has been most disastrous, and at length necessitated theestablishment of laws for its protection.

As the elephants have decreased in Ceylon, so in like manner theirnumber must be reduced in Africa by the continual demand for ivory.Since the 'Rifle and Hound' was written, I have had considerableexperience with the African elephant.

This is a distinct species, as may be seen by a comparison with theIndian elephant in the Zoological Gardens of the Regent's Park.

In Africa, all elephants are provided with tusks; those of the femalesare small, averaging about twenty pounds the pair. The bull's aresometimes enormous. I have seen a pair of tusks that weighed 300 lbs.,and I have met with single tusks of 160 lbs. During this year (1874) atusk was sold in London that weighed 188 lbs. As the horns of deer varyin different localities, so the ivory is also larger and of superiorquality in certain districts. This is the result of food and climate.The average of bull elephant's tusks in equatorial Africa is about 90lbs. or 100 lbs. the pair.

It is not my intention to write a treatise upon the African elephant; this has been already described in the `Nile Tributaries ofAbyssinia,'*(* Published by Messrs. Macmillan and Co.) but it will besufficient to explain that it is by no means an easy beast to kill whenin the act of charging. From the peculiar formation of the head, it isalmost impossible to kill a bull elephant by the forehead shot; thus thedanger of hunting the African variety is enhanced tenfold.

The habits of the African elephant are very different from those of hisIndian cousins. Instead of retiring to dense jungles at sunrise, theAfrican will be met with in the mid-day glare far away from forests,basking in the hot prairie grass of ten feet high, which scarcelyreaches to his withers.

Success in elephant shooting depends materially upon the character ofthe ground. In good forests, where a close approach is easy, the Africanspecies can be killed like the Indian, by one shot either behind the earor in the temple; but in open ground, or in high grass, it is bothuncertain and extremely dangerous to attempt a close approach on foot.Should the animal turn upon the hunter, it is next to impossible to takethe forehead-shot with effect. It is therefore customary in Africa, tofire at the shoulder with a very heavy rifle at a distance of fifty orsixty yards. In Ceylon it was generally believed that the shoulder-shotwas useless; thus we have distinct methods of shooting the two speciesof elephants: this is caused, not only by the difference between theanimals, but chiefly by the contrast in the countries they inhabit.Ceylon is a jungle; thus an elephant can be approached within a fewpaces, which admit of accurate aim at the brain. In Africa the elephantis frequently upon open ground; therefore he is shot in the larger mark(the shoulder) at a greater distance. I have shot them successfully bothin the brain and in the shoulder, and where the character of the countryadmits an approach to within ten paces, I prefer the Ceylon method ofaiming either at the temple or behind the ear.

Although the African elephant with his magnificent tusks is a highertype than that of Ceylon, I look back to the hunting of my younger dayswith unmixed pleasure. Friends with whom I enjoyed those sports arestill alive, and are true friends always, thus exemplifying thatpeculiar freemasonry which unites the hearts of sportsmen.

After a life of rough experience in wild countries, I have found somepleasure in referring to the events of my early years, and recalling therecollection of many scenes that would have passed away had they notbeen chronicled. I therefore trust that although the brightest days ofCeylon sports may have somewhat faded by the diminution of the game,there may be Nimrods (be they young or old) who will still discover someinterest in the `Rifle and Hound in Ceylon.'